Family Swap

A few weeks ago I moved in with a family full of strangers. It has been a true learning experience to see the cultural differences between a typical American family (I don't know I consider my family typical) and a Spanish family. Keep in mind, all of these observations are about two specific families, not all families in America or in Spain. Pretty sure no other family in America spends as much time worrying about their dog's eating and exercise schedule as mine does...

Shout out to my dogs (this picture is mainly for my mom...hope you're reading)

A small action that stands out in a big way is the way Luis and Miguel (my little brothers) greet their parents. Every time they leave the house they kiss Mar and Nando (my parents) goodbye. I have noticed it is much more common for people to touch each other in Madrid. Every time I meet someone and put out my hand for a handshake I am given a strange look before being kissed on both cheeks. There is also a great deal of PDA in the city (especially on the Metro for some reason...), the likes of which I have never seen in the America.

Another huge difference is our chores around the house...we don't have any. This might be due to the fact that we are guests here for a semester but we really don't do anything but load our dishes in the sink. Each night Mar prepares us dinner and serves it to us. And every Tuesday she does our laundry and cleans our room and bathroom. To me it seems Mar does too much  (or maybe my parents could pick up a few hints, eh?). But really, we are used to doing all of that and more for ourselves in America. I must admit I feel a little babied, I like being independent. I have noticed that many Spanish people have a different idea of independence and don't have the desire to "get out" of your parents house like many Americans. It is uncommon for young people to move out, instead they live at home with their parents during college and for a few years after.

The Spanish do not seem to have as much "car love" as my American comrades. My host family has a car but I don't know if it actually exists because I have not even seen it yet. It is not common for a family in Madrid to have a car because of the extensive Metro system and it is even more uncommon for a family to have multiple cars. This is one of my favorite parts about Madrid because it is so easy to get around and there is no dependence on gas (and no complaining about gas prices).

Opera, my metro stop

In my Spanish class, we have been learning about the culture of Spain and how it developed. It is clear that a lot of the values have been part of Spanish culture for ages. On the other hand, there are other "American" things like McDonald's, Rihanna's music, and strangely enough Hard Rock Cafe that are extremely popular and blend right into the life of a Madrileño.

I have learned so much from my host family already and I am so happy I decided not to live in a dorm. I am improving my Spanish, learning new things about the Madrileño lifestyle, and most importantly making new friendships. It is also nice to have someone around who actually knows the city and can help me when I get lost or need help (which is pretty often these days).

Tomorrow I am off to Segovia! I am excited to see the Roman acqueducts and other historical places that we have been talking about in my Spanish class in person.

¡Hasta luego!